It seemed it was over for #50, but instead…
Nicklas Nielsen he was a great protagonist of the victory of the Ferrari #50 at Le Mans. The Dane was driving in the first stint when the Maranello Hypercar remained on track with slick tires despite the arrival of rain, a moment in which the 499P #83 and #50 took advantage by staying away from errors that were behind the corner in light of the slippery asphalt.
Nielsen was also leading in the final stint and he crossed the finish line causing the joy of all the Ferrari men to explode in the garage and in particular of his team mates Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina, who thus tied the score with the #51 that won a year ago. In the last two hours, however, among the Ferrari #50’s opponents there was one you wouldn’t expect, namely the right door, which was not closed properly and tended to open. Race Director Eduardo Freitas, after a few warnings, essentially forced the car to take the pit road to close the ‘flying’ door.
Via radio the wall had tried to ask Nielsen to try to close it, but the driver, despite slowing down on the straight to try to make a move that would have been worth as much as an overtaking or a defense, was unable to close the door which was then closed by a mechanic who he vented his frustration of the whole team in closing it since the stop was not planned. The strategists, however, together with the technicians and Nielsen, calculated how to set up the last 80 minutes of the match to avoid a splash and go at the end and the Dane did not have to pay a tactical price against his opponents.
Nielsen thus commented on a very sweet success that was in doubt until the last meter given that the #50 reached the finish line with very little fuel still in the tank: “It’s truly a dream come true – said the Ferrari driver – victory seemed very difficult for most of the race, even at the end, when we had a problem with the door. But then everything went well. I’m speechless: I’m very proud of everyone. The last lap was very long, impossible to imagine, I was concerned about avoiding any risk and getting to the finish line as quickly as possible.”
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